Calling India one of the few nations the new Obama administration saw as a global partner, she had vowed to usher in a new era of relations with India with a 'dramatic expansion in our common agenda and a greater role for India, in solving global challenges.'

'We see India as one of a few key partners worldwide who will help us shape the 21st century,' she declared

'It is early in our new administration, and we are clearly committed to furthering and deepening our relationship with India in every way possible,' she said as if addressing critics who have suggested that unlike the previous Bush administration, President Barack Obama was ignoring New Delhi.

Noting that three successive United States administrations from different parties - Bill Clinton, George Bush and Barack Obama - have identified the US-India relationship as a foreign policy priority, she said: 'To the United States, this is a project that transcends partnerships and personalities. And I believe the same is true in India.'

Since then, Clinton has time and again dilated on the theme of a 'strategic partnership' with India. At a Town Hall meeting Monday at the US Agency for International Development, she said her trip to India is intended to start a strategic dialogue on a wide range of issues including climate change and clean energy.

(Arun Kumar can be contacted at arun.kumar@ians.in)